LOGIN***WE WANT YOU TO GET PREGNANT ***Flora’s POV“You know what, Lucille? I am absolutely, 100 percent done with his arrogant ass!” I kicked my legs violently in the pool, sending a massive, aggressive spray of water over the tiles.The warmth of the water was doing nothing to cool the raging fire in my chest. “This was supposed to be a simple, straightforward fake relationship. So why the hell does it come with this many complications?”Lucille was floating lazily on a yellow lounger, her eyes closed behind dark sunglasses, completely unbothered by my breakdown. “Calm your nerves, Flora, or you’re going to blast the truth to the entire neighborhood.”“Who even cares anymore?” I snapped, resting my chin on my folded arms at the edge of the pool. “This entire situation is getting incredibly annoying. If I had known the Ice Captain came with this much personal baggage, I would have preferred to work three extra retail jobs and sweat my way out of debt the hard way.”Lucille slowly tipped
***RUMORS***Tyler’s POV“What the fuck!”Flora’s voice squeaked in absolute panic. The ice-cold water stuck to my skin and a sharp, immediate surge of pure disgust hit me.I opened my mouth to speak, but the sight of her face made me pause.She looked entirely horrified, her eyes wide as the empty plastic bottle dangled uselessly from her fingers.“Flora, are you okay?” Lucille asked, stepping forward with her brows knitted.“Tyler,” she whispered, her voice dropping. “Look at this.”She turned the screen toward me, Lucille, and the boys. It was a gossip page with anonymous written at the top and the profile picture was a faceless ghost emoji.The headline was boldly written.“THE ICE CAPTAIN’S CHARITY CASE. Inside sources confirm Tyler Sinclair’s high-profile romance is an absolute setup. Is Flora Morgan just a distraction for the Captain to become more famous or is she playing the NHL's Golden Boy for a massive payout?”“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Joffrey muttered, his ban
***FIRST DAY BACK***Flora’s POVThe morning sun filtered through the windows of the room, but the bright Chicago light did absolutely nothing to calm the storm in my head. I stared blankly at the white ceiling, my eyelids heavy, completely trapped in a loop of everything that had gone down on that beach yesterday.The anonymous live question was still echoing in my skull like a bomb detonation.Are you guys perhaps Fake Dating?My chest tightened as I remembered the silence that had followed.But Tyler didn’t flinch. He leaned into the mic, his voice a freezing, immovable wall as he stared dead into the lens. “If we were faking it, we’d look a lot more perfect for your cameras. Real relationships are messy. Next question.” It was an absolute masterclass in damage control. It was so brutally convincing, that the live chat feed had instantly exploded in our favor, completely burying the rumor before it could breathe.He had been so focused on getting us out of there cleanly that he
***ARE YOU GUYS PERHAPS FAKE DATING***Flora’s POV“You two are the absolute favorites on every digital platform right now, but your performance today is completely out of alignment!” Christian hissed, his voice dropping into a desperate, panicked whisper as he stepped deep into our midst. “The audience wants high-octane romance, darlings, not whatever this stiff, defensive energy is! Especially you, Tyler—my God, smile more! Use those gorgeous lips! We have a fifteen-minute break before the final phase. Go fix your vibes!”The director called the break and Tyler immediately broke the contact, his chest rising and falling in a tight, sharp breath.He spun around, grabbed a cold bottle of water from the ice bucket, and marched toward the edge of the wooden deck.I needed to clear the static out of my own head. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely grip my phone as I slipped away into the shadows behind the changing tents. I clicked the contact and held the phone to my ear, wai
***#SEANANDMEGAN#***Flora’s POVChristian looked like someone had just told him his entire career was dead and buried.He stood there, the wind whipping his expensive linen blazer around his body as his hands dropped limply to his sides. The usual energy was completely gone from his face, leaving behind a pale, hollow look of pure dread.“The executive board just pushed through an emergency directive,” Christian whispered, his voice cracking. “They’ve decided... this modeling campaign is going live right now. From the beach.”Tyler stared at Christian, his voice dropping into a low, venomous rumble. “Oh, fuck.”“Live?” Megan’s eyes instantly lit up behind her oversized designer sunglasses. A thrilled, incredibly sharp smile spread across her lips as she leaned her hip heavily into Sean's side. “Like Love Island? Oh, Christian, that is absolutely perfect.”“What do you mean, live?” I stepped forward, my feet sinking unsteadily into the wet sand as panic flared right behind my ribs. “
***SPILL THE TEA CHRISTIAN***Sean’s POVI had just rounded up the last part of the afternoon session with the NHL officials, and my ears were completely burned out.It was so incredibly boring. They mentioned the word “restrategize” about a hundred times like it was a holy mantra. Old men in suits yapping about defensive zone structures, player chemistry, bla bla, fucking bullshit.How did Tyler even manage to sit through these meetings without his ears bleeding out?But then, when I received the call from Coach yesterday informing me that I’d be representing the Hershey Bears as the Assistant Captain for this two days meeting. I felt like I was finally seen. Mr. Sinclair was present for both sessions, sitting at the head of the table like a king. I tried my absolute best to show off—nodding at the exact right moments, throwing in sharp comments about our offensive pressure to prove I was up to the task. But the old man never paid any attention to me. He just stared straight ahead,
***NO STRINGS ATTACHED***Flora's POVI spotted Lucille and Jeffrey near the bar at the corner of the parlor. Jeffrey had slipped away from the couch the second I had stepped toward Tyler earlier, before the disaster.Now, both he and Lucille were acting like the ultimate co-hosts of the night.“H
***OUR NEW DEAL***Flora's POVI slammed my bedroom door so hard it rattled.I marched straight toward the mattress and collapsed face-first into the mountain of plush pillows, letting out a muffled scream that was entirely swallowed by the fabric.My mind was a chaotic, violent loop of what had ju
***WRONG FLORA***Flora's POV It's been three good days since the worst day of my life and I was handling it terribly, thanks to no one in particular for asking.I hadn't cried again, at least not since the past four hours. Every time I thought I'd gotten a handle on it, something would sneak up on
***FRAMED***Flora's POV "Oh...fuck...yeah, Sean." My hand slid down my skirt, eyes locked on the magazine in front of me.Two of my fingers slid deep into my underwear and the only witness was Sean Ferrars's glossy face staring back at me from the cover of Hockey Weekly. His jaw was sharp, his sm







